The method commonly employed in the carpet industry to secure the abutting edges forming the seam between adjacent carpet sections is to place a carpet tape under the seam and adhesively secure the tape to the underside of the carpet. The tape is generally about 4 to 6 inches in width and is commonly made from a paper base, fiberglass or rayon reinforced.
The use of such tape has eliminated older carpet laying techniques of sewing adjacent edges together, which has represented one of the most difficult and time consuming tasks in the carpet laying field. Hand placement of the tape is however difficult, requiring awkward manipulation of the carpet edges and tape.
Various carpet tape dispensers have been employed to eliminate hand placement of the tape. Illustrative are the tape dispensers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,748,211 and 4,581,891.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,211 a box-shaped carpet seaming tape dispenser is disclosed which mounts between upturned juxtaposed edges of adjacent carpet sections which are to be joined together. The dispenser is designed to directionally release tape parallel to the juxtaposed edges and directly on the floor which the carpet is to cover.
A major drawback of the noted dispenser is the substantial displacement of the juxtaposed edges of the adjacent carpet sections which results from the dispenser being placed within and traversing through the adjacent edges while the tape is being dispensed. It has been found that such displacement of the carpet edges can, and in many instances will, damage the carpet fibers near the juxtaposed edges, particularly when the dispenser is moved therethrough.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,091, a similar apparatus is disclosed which is mounted between juxtaposed edges of the adjacent carpet sections. This apparatus is also moved substantially parallel with and between the carpet edges while dispensing tape through a discharge passage. A trailing plate is also employed which is detachably connected to the tape holding container in alignment with the discharge passage so that as tape is dispensed, the tape is supported on the trailing plate under the juxtaposed edges of the carpet sections.
The noted apparatus similarly requires substantial displacement between the juxtaposed edges of the carpet sections to allow for the tape holding container and trailing plate to move between the edges of the carpet sections. Thus, a substantial portion of the carpet fibers near the juxtaposed edges are exposed to and, in many instances, damaged by the movement of the carpet tool.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a carpet tape apparatus which is easily maneuvered to position carpet seam tape centrally below juxtaposed edges of adjacent carpet sections while preserving the carpet fibers near the juxtaposed edges of the adjacent carpet sections.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carpet tape apparatus for dispensing carpet seam tape substantially centered between juxtaposed edges of adjacent carpet sections while maintaining minimal displacement of the juxtaposed edges of the adjacent carpet section when disposed and moving therebetween.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and accompanying drawings.